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Zach LaVine has said it over and over again: he doesn’t care if he doesn’t score as long as the Bulls win.
Sunday offered proof.
On a day where he only sank a single basket, LaVine always had an impact on the Bulls’ 117-101 win over the Mavericks in Dallas, recording his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 assists and even contributing three interceptions.
“He didn’t force anything, really played the right way,” said coach Billy Donovan.
LaVine, who entered the game fourth in the NBA with 28.3 points per game, missed seven of eight shots and all five attempts by 3 points. His outing broke a streak of four-game personal bests by 30 points.
Still, his solid all-round game and offensive performance that several players contributed to left him in the mood for a joke afterwards. It was in stark contrast to his state of discouragement after the Bulls collapsed Friday night in Oklahoma City.
When the Bulls and Mavericks played at United Center on Jan. 3, LaVine torched the Dallas defense to 21 points in the first quarter – en route to 39 for the game – in another victory. Considering how aggressively the Mavericks started trying to trap LaVine in this game, Donovan figured LaVine could be the center of defensive attention early on.
LaVine’s eight shots were his season low, and by a lot. His precedent was 13 years.
“He had downhill, found his teammates, ”said Donovan. If Zach can continue to evolve like this, it will only help our team and make us better. “
The Bulls have placed six double-digit players and posted their third game with 30 or more assists this season. This more than made up for LaVine’s quiet night, not to mention Coby White who missed all five attempts and failed to score.
“Thad (Young) told the guys about it after the game. He said, “Coby and Zach, you didn’t score, but you played the game the right way, it really improved us and helped us win,” “Donovan said.” Look, these guys are gamers that need a lot of attention. So that opens things up to other people. And when they can play like that, it’s just going to help us.
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